If you are willing to take on one of these tasks, please let us know which number you are taking by either posting a comment here, e-mailing the church office, or signing up on the sheet at church. Any information you gather should be given to Mike Kaufman and/or Whitney Baker. Thanks!
1) Staying Here: What building restrictions are there for our current property: floodplain, setbacks, etc.? Based on these restrictions, is building at this location feasible?
2) Staying Here: What would it cost to buy one or two of the adjacent lots?
3) Building New: What is the price range of construction costs per square foot for various types of buildings (from most basic to “green” construction?
4) Building New: If we build new (either at our current location or somewhere else), what costs can we anticipate beyond the cost for the building itself?
5) Building New: What property is available in and around Lawrence on which we could build? What is the price range of the property?
6) Building New: What would be required of us if we were to work with Dan Rockhill’s group? What type of property will he build on? What timeline are we working with? What costs would we have to cover? How much input would we have?
7) Buying: Gather information on the old Christian Science building (on Mass)
8) Buying: Gather information on the old Harley building (2nd and Lincoln)
9) Buying: Gather information on the property at 1735 Haskell. (Realtor is Heather Kirchhefer: 841-2400)
10) Buying: Gather information on buildings for sale that might suit our church’s needs. [The following properties have been/are being looked at by others: Christian Science building, Harley building (2nd and Lincoln), and 1735 Haskell.]
11) Buying: Recommend a realtor that can work with the church as we explore our options. Find out what is required of us if we sign on with a realtor. Could the same realtor help us sell our current building and buy another building or property?
12) Renting/Leasing Option: Gather information about renting the I-70 Business Center.
13) Renting/Leasing Option: Gather information about renting 800 Comet Lane.
14) Renting/Leasing Option: Gather information on spaces available for rent. [The properties at the I-70 Business Center and 800 Comet Lane are already being looked into.]
15) Sharing Space Option: Talk with a few different congregations who have experienced space sharing situations and gather information about how that worked for them.
16) Sharing Space Option: Check on the possibility of sharing space with the Jewish Community Center.
17) Sharing Space Option: Check on the possibility of sharing space with the 7th Day Adventist Church.
18) Sharing Space Option: Check on the possibility of sharing space with the Muslim community.
19) Sharing Space Option: Explore options of other churches, campus ministries, and non-profits in town that might be willing to share space with our congregation. [Others are contacting the Jewish Center, 7th Day Adventist Church, Muslim community, and Lutheran campus ministry.]
Below is some information from Roger regarding the Rockhill option. (If you would like the more extensive commentary from Roger and Barbara, you may request it from the church office.)
Dan phoned Roger. Here’s a summary of what he said. He dwelled on the problems of building inside the Lawrence city limits:
The most difficult aspect of the whole thing is dealing with the city . . . they’re increasingly more difficult to work with in every aspect – so the process of getting the plans approved by them and going through requisite inspections – there’ll be an upfront cost – you have to hire people to stamp documents – mechanical, electrical and so on – and that’s onerous even when you have money. If we were out in middle of nowhere, that’d be great.
You have to hire people to seal the documents – you can spend upwards of $20,000 just to do the sealing.
How critical is it for your church to be in town? A more appealing process is something on a little piece of property in the country – there might be a little bit more latitude – the county is also difficult to deal with, but it’s not quite so painful – . . .
We have taken down two buildings at Sunflower Ammunition Plant. So that’s a possible source of salvage materials.
I can really see a beautiful Shaker-inspired church in a rural landscape.
I would be willing to contact Tom Harper a realtor I used, to let him know our needs and he would gather information on several of the buildings listed I think.